Portable derrick



y 1946. H. b. HILBORN 7 2,403,081

" PORTABLE DERRICK Fil'd Aug. 12 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3nneutor How/1RD D. H/LBORN.

July 1946- H. D. HILBORN 2,403,031

PORTABLE DERRICK Filed Aug. 12, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zhmentor HOWARD D. h'lLBoRN Paltented July' 2, 1946 PORTABLE DER Howard D. HilbornQHouston, Tex, gnor to Emsco Derrick &Equipment Company, has I, Angeles, Calif., a connotation of California Application August 1-2 19%, Serial N0. 549,256

8 Claims. (Cl. 18915) 1 This inventionrelates to portable derricks and it has special reference to a system and means for elevating a derrick from one position to another, or from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially upright or vertical position. The invention is especially applicable to four legged derricks, arranged to be raised by cable as distinguished from those which are adapted to be raised by hydraulic or mechanical means.-

An objegt of the invention is to provide a system or arrangement for elevating and lowering derricks in which the line pull is considerably reduced and the stress in the several members comprising the derrick is substantially decreased.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elevating and lowering system for derricks in 2 plates l5, when elevated to upright position to maintain some in vertical position. Such support, however, forms no part of the present in vention and therefore needsno further description. On the base It is a drum l6 arranged to be rotated by power devices or engines II which are attached to said base. A gin pole l8 secured to and upstanding from said base i3 is provided which accessory instruments such as trusses,

heretofore required in the operation or method of raising and lowering derricks, are rendered completely unnecessary. 'I'hese accessory adjuncts decreased the visibility of the worker or driller, of the working platform and hence interfere with emcient operation. In addition, these complements crowd the racked pipe, restrict the clearance in the derrick, and generally reduce the area of movement of the operator, which makes for unfavorable working conditions.

. Another object of the invention is to provide a system or method of raising a derrick, in which the drill lines may be strung in advance of the erection and in which the derrick when erected, isready for'the drilling operation, without the need for stringing the blocks for drilling after the derrick is erected, it being necessary merely to remove the constant length line from the running block and to dispose it so as not to interfere with the drill line.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification.

Referring to the drawing which is for illustrative purposes only,

at the top with spaced sheaves 20 and intermediate sheave 2| for purposes presently appearing.

Below the sheaves 20, sheaves'l9 are mounted on the base It.

By members 22 each connected at one end to the top of the gin pole l8 and at the other" end to said base l3, the gin pole is maintained in substantially upright position, which, as shown,.'

is preferably in front of the rear legs ll of the derrick. On the top of the derrick I B is mounted a crown block' 23 from which is suspended within go the confines oi, the derrick ill a running or traveling block 24, said block 23 and the block 24 carrying sheaves 25 and 26 respectively, over which are trained the usual cables 21. Lifting and lowering of the derrick Ill is accomplished 5 by a variable length cable or haul line "secured Fig. 1 is an elevation view showing a form of my invention as applied, dotted lines showing a derrick in elevated position.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a form of gin pole or supporting structure.

A'derrick of the four legged type is 'shown at Ill. The legs II, which, for purposes of description, may be designated as the'front legs, are associ-. ated with a pivotal connection II which is mounted upon a base I3. The legs H, which may be designated as the rear legs of the derrick I Ii, are arranged-to rest on and be secured in any desirable manner to a suitable support, or shoe atone end to the aforenamed drum It, or any other suitable cable pulling means, such as a truck, for example, and trained about the sheaves 2l.-;of the crown block 23 and the sheaves 28 of the traveling block 24,. the free or dead end of jsai d haul line or variable length cable 28 being connected to a suitable anchor l3. In the prone.

or horizontal position of the derrick, this haul line passes from the drum l6, over the sheave 2| on the top of the gin pole l8, then over the sheaves 25 and 26, respectively, of the crown and traveling blocks 23 and 24, and being finally secured to the anchor It on the base. Since the tension or pull on this haul line .28 in raising the derrick from a prone to a vertical position is considerable and isattended by severe strain on the several'members of the derrick, his not only desirable, but highly important, that this tension on the haul line be reduced and that the stress on the derrick members be considerably decreased. To accomplish this reduction in the line pull it is necessary that the tension or force applied to the haul line be distributed, divided, or considerably relieved, and so applied at a desirable point on the derrick that this supplementing force may work in conjunction with thehaui line in multiple of the force or pull exerted thereby. This multiple force proceeds from the traveling block 24 which is provided with a connecting means shown as a hook 28 over which legs I of the derrick or to a connection it on the outside oi the derrick legs and at a point intermediate the length oithe derrick legs i4. By this arrangement it is obvious that the pull or haulon the lioisting'line 28 operating the traveling block will exert a tension r pull on the constant length. line 3i in excess oi the. pull on the haul line 28, which excess is determined by the number 01' plies of cable trained over the crown and traveling blocks, and that this excess pull on the constant length line is transferred directly to the legs of the derrick concurrently and cooperatively with the pull on the variable length cable or hoisting line 28. In this'way, where the crown block and traveling block are connected by lines or cables, the pull on the line' 28 is materially reduced over the teachings oi the prior art, with an attendant decrease in the stress in members of the derrick. and with an increased ease in raising the derrick to substantially vertical position. When so raised'and the rear legs of the derrick are secured to the base,

the sling line Si is removed from the connecting means 29, and the variable length line 28, which is trained over the crown and traveling blocks 23 and 24, respectively, is then ready for the drilling operation. 4

The threading of the constant length line as described. which is looped over the connecting means 29 01' the traveling block, to-wit: under the sheaves at the bottom or the gin pole, thence over sheaves at'the top of the gin pole, and the connection finally to the outside or the derrick leg, enables the blocks to be strung ready for the drilling when the raising operation is completed. 1 I claim as my invention:

1. A system of moving a derrick from one po sition to another about a pivoting center for the derrick, comprising: a base upon which the derrick is mounted for pivoting movement; crown and traveling blocks carried by said derrick and adapted to be' interconnected by plies of cable; cable pulling means; a variable length cable secured at one end to said cable pulling means trained about the sheaves of said crown and traveling blocks and having its other end anchored to said base; a gin poleprovided with sheaves; and

a constant length line connecting said traveling block and at least a leg of the derrick,-said line running over said gin pole sheaves, intermediate its length, and connected to the leg of the derrick above the pivoting point thereof.

2. A means for moving aderrick from one position to another in an arcuate plane, comprising: a base; a derrick mounted thereon to 'have pivotingmovement relatively thereto;

crown and running blocks carried by said derrick and having sheaves adapted to receive plies 01' cable which are customarily trained about the sheaves of said crown and running blocks; a rotatable drum; a variable length cable secured at one end to said drum and trained about the aforementioned sheaves, the other end of said cable being anchored to said base; an upstanding support having sheaves; and a constant length line connecting said traveling block and at least a leg of the derrick, said line running over the s. a mine and loweringsystem ro'r derricks comprising: a derrick; .a base; a pivotal connection on said base for the bottom of the derrick to enable the derrick to swing about said connection from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position; a crown block on the top of said derrick: a traveling block within the derrick, each 01' said blocks having sheaves adapted to receive plies of cables which are customarily trained about the sheaves of said blocks; means to move said derrick about said pivotal connection, comprising a variable length cable, cable pulling means to which oneend 0t said cable is connected, said cable being trained about the sheaves of said crown and traveling blocks and connected at its other end to said base; and a constant length line having one end there- 1 of connected to the traveling block and the other end thereot'connected to a leg of the derrick at' a point intermediate the endsof said leg and crown block by plies of cable; a hoisting line connected at one end to said cable pulling means and trained about said crown and 'running blocks; sheave means carried by the base and a constant length line having one of its ends connected to said running block, its intermediate portion running over said sheave means and its other end connected to an intermediate portion of the,

derrick and working in conjunction with said hoisting line.

5. An erecting system for portable derricks comprising: a derrick; a pivotal connection to enable the derrick to swing from a horizontal to a vertical position; a crown block in the top of said derrick and a running block within said derrick; cable pulling means; a variable length hoist line connected at one end to said cable pulltrained about said blocks; a gin pole carrying ing means and at the other end to an anchor, an intermediate portion of said hoistJine being upper sheaves; lower sheaves supported below said upper sheaves; and a constant length line looped on said running block, the branches of said constant length line threaded over said lower and upper sheaves and the ends thereot being secured to the derrick legs.

6. A lifting and lowering system for derricks, comprising: a base; a derrick having its front legs pivotally connected to said base to enable the derrick to swing from a horizontal to a verlength line within said derrick and at the other end to the rear legs ofsaid derrick.

sheaves on said supp n rm diate its l n 76 LA lifting and lowering system for derricks,

comprising: a base; a derrick having its front legs pivotally connected to said base to enable the derrick to swing from a horizontal to a vertical position; means on said base to secure the rear legs of said derrick when said derrick is raised to elevated position; a line extending from the upper end of the derrick to the interior there.- of; cable pulling means to which said line is connected to elevate and lower the derrick; an

upright support; and a sling line passing under and over said support and having one end extended into and connected to said first named line and the other end connected to the rear legs of said derrick intermediate the length thereof, said sling line cooperating with said first named line for swinging said derrick about said pivot.

8. A lifting and lowering system tor derricks and connected to the portion of said variable length line which extends down into the derrick from the top thereof, the other end of said sling line being connected to an intermediat portion of the derrick, said sling line cooperating with said first named line in swinging said derrick between said horizontal and upright positions thereof.

HOWARD D. HILBORN. 

